Microfluidic chip fabrication and method to detect influenza

An overview of influenza A virus detection methods: from state-of-the-art of laboratories to point-of-care strategies

Influenza A virus (IAV), a common respiratory infectious pathogen, poses a significant risk to personal health and public health safety due to rapid mutation and wide host range. To better prevent and treat IAV, comprehensive measures are needed for early and rapid screening and detection of IAV. Although traditional laboratory-based techniques are accurate, they are often time-consuming and not always feasible in emergency or resource-limited areas. In contrast, emerging point-of-care strategies provide faster results but may compromise sensitivity and specificity. Here, this review critically evaluates various detection methods for IAV from established laboratory-based procedures to innovative rapid diagnosis. By analyzing the recent research progress, we aim to address significant gaps in understanding the effectiveness, practicality, and applicability of these methods in different scenarios, which could provide information for healthcare strategies, guide public health response measures, and ultimately strengthen patient care in the face of the ongoing threat of IAV. Through a detailed comparison of diagnostic models, this review can provide a reliable reference for rapid, accurate and efficient detection of IAV, and to contribute to the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of IAV.

Detection of Pathogenic Microorganisms by Microfluidics Based Analytical Methods

Microfluidics based biochemical analysis shows distinctive advantages for fast detection of pathogenic microorganisms. This Feature summarizes the progress in the past decade on microfluidic methods for purification and detection of pathogenic bacteria and viruses as well as their applications in food safety control, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnosis.

Point-of-care diagnostics for respiratory viral infections

Introduction: Successful treatment outcomes for viral respiratory tract infections presenting from primary health care to quaternary hospitals will only be achieved with rapid, sensitive and specific identification of pathogens to allow effective pathogen-specific antiviral therapy and infection control measures.

Areas covered: This review aims to explore the different point-of-care tests currently available to diagnose viral respiratory tract infections, discuss the advantages and limitations of point-of-care testing, and provide insights into the future of point-of-care tests. The following databases were searched: Medline (January 1996 to 30 September 2017) and Embase (1988 to 30 September 2017), using the following keywords: ‘point of care’, ‘respiratory virus’, ‘influenza’, ‘RSV’, ‘diagnostics’, ‘nucleic acid test’ and ‘PCR’.

Expert commentary: Viral respiratory tract infections cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, and point-of-care tests are facilitating the rapid identification of the pathogen responsible given the similarities in clinical presentation.

Current Approaches for Diagnosis of Influenza Virus Infections in Humans

Despite significant advancement in vaccine and virus research, influenza continues to be a major public health concern. Each year in the United States of America, influenza viruses are responsible for seasonal epidemics resulting in over 200,000 hospitalizations and 30,000–50,000 deaths. Accurate and early diagnosis of influenza viral infections are critical for rapid initiation of antiviral therapy to reduce influenza related morbidity and mortality both during seasonal epidemics and pandemics. Several different approaches are currently available for diagnosis of influenza infections in humans. These include viral isolation in cell culture, immunofluorescence assays, nucleic acid amplification tests, immunochromatography-based rapid diagnostic tests, etc. Newer diagnostic approaches are being developed to overcome the limitations associated with some of the conventional detection methods. This review discusses diagnostic approaches currently available for detection of influenza viruses in humans.